1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pattern for camouflaging a user and to novel methods for making a pattern for camouflage.
2. The Background Art
Since World War II, a variety of patterns have been designed to camouflage people and objects in an outdoor environment. Military personnel use camouflage clothing for combat and training. Other users of camouflage include hunters, bird watchers, paint ball players and other outdoor recreation enthusiasts. Camouflage prevents people from being detected by other people and animals. A good camouflage can allow hunters and other wildlife watchers to avoid startling wildlife. Camouflage aids the military in performing covert operations and hiding from enemy fire.
Early camouflage was a single color, often a shade of green or brown. More recent camouflage arrangements include repeating geometric shapes with borders. This type of camouflage typically has two or three colors, including green, brown, or black. A green version of this camouflage is designed for hiding a person in a forested environment. Another version of this camouflage is light brown with dark borders around the geometric shapes to match a dry, desert background.
Camouflage clothing manufacturers have recently attempted to create a more realistic appearance by using plant-like three-dimensional additions. However, this camouflage is noisy, cumbersome and may catch on snags.
Camouflage clothing manufacturers have recently attempted to create a more realistic appearance by gathering photographic images and placing them in a perspective relationship so as to create the appearance of depth.
Camouflage clothing manufacturers have also recently attempted to create a more realistic appearance by gathering photographic images representing various desired colors to depict a desired pattern simulating a particular environment.
Camouflage clothing manufacturers have also recently attempted to create a more realistic appearance by gathering photographic images and placing portions of those images on the corners and edges of a pattern to create a repeating pattern of camouflage.
Camouflage clothing manufacturers have also recently attempted to create a more thorough pattern of camouflage by stacking smaller objects in a synthetic perspective relationship to create depth and to create the appearance of vegetation reaching to the top of the horizon in an infinite background setting.
Camouflage clothing manufacturers have also recently attempted to create depth and achieve desired color contrast by creating a background with a conglomerate of desired colors and blends giving the appearance of depth and distance that is out of focus.
Camouflage clothing manufacturers have also recently attempted to create a diverse pattern by gathering photographic images and placing portions of those images within a pattern to create a diverse pattern useful in different environments.
Camouflage clothing manufacturers have also recently attempted to create confusion in their pattern by using various color schemes and blends that attempt to avoid identification of the person wearing the camouflage pattern.
Prior art configurations fail to create a realistic waterfowl camouflage pattern because they all fail to incorporate water which is the primary part of the selected environment of waterfowl.
Prior configurations fail to create a realistic depiction of a particular environment because the images within the configuration are arranged in a synthetic relationship on a computer.
Prior art configurations fail to create realism because they fail to create an environment scene of Mother Nature. Many times the prior art only contains various objects of a selected environment without proper realistic assimilation of the elements of the environment.
The prior art is developed primarily in a computer room with various photographic images and is almost entirely synthetically created. This synthetic creation takes away from the realism of the art.
Every time a portion of the prior art is altered with a computer from its original natural state it loses its realism, particularly depth. As a result, the currently available camouflage patterns totally lack realism.
In order to achieve the goals of camouflage including but not limited to: 1) creating the realistic appearance of depth; 2) matching of the desired environment; 3) versatility of images; 4) versatility of colors; 5) concealment in the selected environment; 6) proper separation of objects in the camouflage (not too busy and not too open); 7) a pattern repeat that does not take away from the effectiveness of the pattern or the marketability of the pattern; and, 8) creating the most realistic camouflage possible, the inventor must leave the computer room and spend his/her entire time in the field. The current inventors are hunters and photographers and create their camouflage patterns almost entirely in the field, which is the best place to create the most realistic image.
One of the inventors' primary goals of the camouflage is to create realistic depth within the camouflage. Realistic depth is the most important aspect of camouflage. Depth within a surface is not associated with danger and, therefore, is the most important aspect of camouflage.
The prior art does not contain realistic depth or, alternatively, can be improved upon tremendously.
The photographic images in prior art have not been altered to depict the true color of the photographed objects because the elements and conditions contribute to the color captured by the photograph. The color must, therefore, be adjusted back to its natural state absent outside conditions affecting colors.
The color and image of water must also be adjusted and altered, both in the field and in the computer room, to achieve the desired color and image for the desired camouflage pattern.